'ORLANDO is not a monster,' says 34-year-old Neila, who has visited her husband at Liverpool's Altcourse prison since he was given two life sentences for stabbing to death her loved ones.

He will be 65 by the time he is released in 2029; Neila will be 57.

'I'm still going to stand by him because he's a loving person, a loving, caring father to my child, husband to me and his family and people who know him better,' she said.

She, Orlando and their child had followed in the footsteps of Claire, 39, and her husband Bong, who left their home in the Philippines in search of a better life for their four children.

Neila joined Claire at Orchard Manor Nursing Home in Upton, where they worked as nurses. Both families shared the Dorset Road home and supported each other.

But Neila's decision to stand by the killer she brought into that loving home may cause her to be cut adrift by her parents and siblings.

'They always say they love me,' said Neila tearfully, who works with her brother Rod but says relations are cool. 'At the end of the day they are blaming me, even my mum.'

Neila, who sees a counsellor, says what keeps her going are her friends and colleagues, the fact her husband is alive and that she must build a future for their child, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

She said their child was 'probably the only reason I have now to carry on', adding that she has told the youngster that daddy is in hospital.

On the day of the murders, Neila had rowed with Orlando, whom she married in 2002. Suffering from clinical depression, he was homesick, worried about their ill child and feeling 'useless' after being sacked.

In the Philippines, he had an outlet for his stress through martial arts or keep-fit but he said it was too cold to go jogging out-side in the British winter.

Unfortunately, Neila had grown tired of his various complaints. To this day, she blames herself for pushing Orlando away when he needed support.

When a phonecall came to her about an incident on Dorset Road, she could never have imagined he would have hurt anyone other than himself.

'I thought he was committing suicide because I had made him upset that morning,' she said.

Neila returned home to a scene of carnage. 'It was a shock for me when I saw that Claire was there on the floor by the landing,' said Neila, who recoiled with a sharp abdominal pain as she recalled what happened.

She said she was met by police trying to save her sister. 'Then I was looking for the kids,' she said. 'Another shock for me when I saw Kim.'

While police officers worked on Claire, Neila, still in her nurse's uniform, used her skills to help paramedics give heart massage to Kim.

Why had Orlando exploded in such a violent rage? 'I don't know,' replied Neila, who heard claims in court that Orlando suspected Claire had been unkind to his child.

'I didn't hear any problem with Claire,' said Neila, whose faith has been severely tested.

'When that thing happened, when I asked him, 'I don't know what had happened,' he said. And recently what he was saying was, all I saw was just a red colour.'

She and Claire were close. 'It was a real shock for me and devastating,' she said. 'The reason I ended up taking up nursing was because of her.'

Neila, who empathises with the pain Claire's husband Bong, 42, is suffering, was also extremely fond of her nephew.

'Every time I'm cooking, Kim really loved the way I cook so every time I would ask him to do the taste test,' said Neila, who remembered the children's favourite English dish.

'If they fancied fish and chips, if Orlando and me were to go out, they would always say 'fish and chips' and we would come home with fish and chips and they would all enjoy it.'

It's a sign of her unenviable position that Neila wishes to use this article to thank her husband's defence team, especially paralegal Lorna Settle, who has become a good friend, as well as the prosecutors who represented her sister and nephew.

In the meantime, she prays for a miracle every night. 'Dreaming is free, isn't it?' she said.

Killer 'relieved' now trial is over > > >

Killer 'relieved' now trial is over

FILIPINO Orlando Santos may be deported - but only after he has served a minimum 24 years in the British prison system.

The judge, Sir Justice Thayne Forbes, recommended Santos be sent back to the Philippines on release, although the decision will be made by the Home Secretary of the day.

A Chester Crown Court spokesman explained why the British taxpayer was paying for Santos to serve his sentence here.

He said: 'The crime has been committed here. If someone committed a crime over there, they would stay there to serve their sentence. It's just the way things work.

'I think people would be more shocked if we let him go free back to the Philippines.'

Neila Santos says her husband, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder on grounds of diminished responsibility due to a mental illness, had accepted his plight.

And his Chester-based solicitor, Oliver & Co, says there are no grounds on which to launch an appeal.

Neila said: 'Orlando would always say 'if this is what God has decided'. Probably God has a plan for us and that is why he has given me this task.'

Inside prison, Santos, whose defence was funded by legal aid, is able to earn money by working and can take educational courses.

Neila can meet him face-to-face at opposite sides of a desk in a room full of other prisoners, visitors and guards. He can also phone her.

She said Santos, who had already served 315 days on remand while awaiting trial, had a 'good record' inside. He takes solace from going to Catholic mass each Sunday.

She said: 'Now that it is over, he's more settled now and he's more relieved now. He can smile now and enjoy some jokes. Now he's the one advising me because before all this happened I would consider

him as a very good decision maker and now he's going back to that type of person.'

Asked how he coped with the guilt, she said: 'He still cannot accept what has happened. He still says 'I thought I was just having a nightmare'.'

Neila said Orlando felt dreadfully 'sorry' for Bong (right) and family. She said: 'Every time I visit him, he says 'if you can do your best to help them in any way you can, please do so'.'